A collaboration with Dr. Kate (DeConinck) Gibeault, the San Diego Humane Society, and other partners

Nearly 1 in 5 American households adopted a pet during the first year of the pandemic. OurGoodLife San Diego was an oral history project that asked: What role(s) did animals play in local residents lives during the pandemic? And, how have animal companions shaped San Diegans’ imaginings of what the “good life” looks like moving forward? Our research team collected hundreds of handwritten reflections from people in different neighborhoods across San Diego about their experiences with their animals during the pandemic. We also interviewed staff members at the San Diego Humane Society, Think Dignity, PATH San Diego, and other nonprofits to learn how these organizations pivoted to meet the needs of local pet parents during a time of uncertainty, fear, and economic hardship. And, finally, we spoke with individuals experiencing housing insecurity about how they navigated the pandemic alongside their animals. Ultimately, the pandemic exemplified what scholar Donna Haraway calls the “humanimal connection,” or the ways in which humans and animals co-make each other. Questions about care, cruelty, wellbeing, and the good life cannot be framed with attention to just one species. We are learning to think more holistically about the role that animals play in human well being (and vice versa), and what it means to live a good life across species.